The present invention relates to an apparatus for transferring disc-shaped objects in groups from a grouping station to a packaging machine.
Apparatus for separating stacks of disc-shaped objects, particularly cookies, which arrive in stacks of a certain length in a suitable channel, by means for holding and lowering the objects and means for separating a respective stack by holding back the object following that stack is disclosed in Swiss Auslegeschrift [Published patent application] No. 476,598. This publication also discloses an operating phase in which such a separated stack is removed from the channel and deposited on a lower level conveying path. This is accomplished by means of a gripper assembly including two clamping jaws.
Such an arrangement results in an operating rhythm which has an influence all the way to the oven, because no more objects must be produced and discharged than can be removed by the gripper assembly, so that the total output of the system, including the subsequent packaging machine, must be dimensioned for this operating rhythm. An increase in the output can thus be realized only if the operating rhythm of the gripper assembly can be improved.